


Bad Dates and Good Advice

by asymmetricalJester



Series: Bad Dates and Good Advice [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Comfort, Fluff, M/M, Pre-Slash, Protective Bucky Barnes, Slow Burn, not super shippy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-29
Updated: 2015-04-29
Packaged: 2018-03-26 09:35:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3845965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asymmetricalJester/pseuds/asymmetricalJester
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“it’s the middle of the night and i’m walking home alone in the dark and there’s this guy following me and he’s starting to gain on me and i found this phone booth with a lock on the door and i tried to call my best friend but my hands were shaking so badly i accidentally dialed the wrong number and i don’t even know you but help me” au</p><p>--</p><p>Not only was it the worst date Steve had ever been on, but he forgot his phone and home and didn't drive to the restaurant. It would wind up being one of the most memorable nights of his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bad Dates and Good Advice

**Author's Note:**

> Oh god I haven't written anything in months. 
> 
> So as a heads up this fic isn't SUPER shippy, if I wanted to make something that actually fell into full on romance this would be like four times the size it is now and I'm surprised with myself for cranking out 2k words of creepy stuff and fluff. I feel like it would have been really rushed and wouldn't have seemed right if they were jumping into bed with each other right after they met.
> 
> SO basically that means I'm likely to write another part to this. I need someone to bounce ideas off of, but I really like this au and I really like what I've done with Bucky and Steve here. If you have any advice for me on how to improve this/my writing or if you feel like I should continue, feel free to let me know! Any sort of encouragement is appreciated!!!
> 
> I can be found at caffeinatedroyalty.tumblr.com

Of course it was the worst date Steve had ever been on. Not only was the guy rude as hell, but he was creepy, and way too fucking handsy. He knew his friends meant well, but they had really fallen flat on this one. 

The worst part, the real worst, was that he had left his cell phone at home. Steve sometimes got teased for being an old man, hiding in large sweaters, although everything was large on his lithe frame, and sticking to his flip phone, but he rarely actually forgot it at home. He knew how useful the device could be, especially in a situation like this. At least if he had had his phone he could have had someone call, faking an emergency. Now he had no way of letting them know he needed an out, or at least a ride home.

He lived a ways away from the restaurant but it was a nice night and he needed the exercise anyway. Besides, there was no way in hell he’d even consider getting a ride with the creep he was on a date with. He had severely underestimated the length of the walk, and that would have been fine, if he had been able to take his time walking. 

His date had dragged things out, keeping Steve out late. By the time the blonde had finally managed to get away it was almost 11 at night, and pitch black outside aside from the street lights. Of course a ride had been offered, and the look on his date’s face when Steve turned him down was… Well, it was frightening. 

Steve had been walking for about a half hour by the time his shitty hearing finally picked up on the sound of footsteps behind him. Naturally, he ignored it at first. That is, until he heard the footsteps begin to pick up. He moved faster, a thrill of fear coursing through his body. He was being followed. 

Every time he sped up, the footsteps did as well. It wasn’t long before he was in an all out run, his lungs burning in warning of an oncoming asthma attack, and his legs aching from the strain. It was by the grace of some deity that he found the phone booth. At the back of his mind, Steve thought it had to be the last one in Brooklyn, and it had a lock on the inside. 

 

Steve’s hands were trembling as he typed in Peggy’s phone number, and his breath was coming in short little bursts. He didn’t have enough change to make another call, and if she didn’t answer he would be left trapped in this booth with someone waiting for him on the outside until morning.  
The phone rang twice before it was answered, but instead of Peggy’s beautiful british accent, a deep, sleep roughened voice answered. “This is James, who’s calling?” the voice asked, and Steve’s heart fell into his feet. He had misdialed, and got a stranger, a stranger who would probably hang up on him upon hearing the situation. 

“Listen, this is gonna be a really weird request,” and god was his voice shaking, “But I’m trapped in a phone booth with some crazy person outside of it. They’ve been following me for a while now and I tried to call my friend but I dialed wrong, and I don’t have any more change and-” and he had to stop because his chest was tightening and he was wheezing. 

“Shit, calm down man, you sound like you’re gonna die or something. What phone booth is it? I’ll come find you,” the stranger said, sounding much more alert than he had before. 

Steve risked turning around, blood running cold as he saw a figure standing in the shadows near the booth. He knew he whimpered in fear, but he barely registered the noise coming from his body. He didn’t bother trying to make out a face, instead turning his eyes towards the illuminated street signs. He rattled off the street names and a frightened, “Please hurry, he’s standing out there just staring at me,” before hanging up with the strange man. 

And now, he just had to wait and hope this guy didn’t just roll over and go back to sleep. He curled up in a corner of the booth and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to keep his breathing even but failing and lapsing into an asthma attack. He was thankful that he had at least remembered his inhaler, and used it several times while he waited. 

It was only 15 minutes before there was a tentative knock on the booth door. Steve looked up, eyes wide and teary as he looked at the person outside. 

He had obviously walked straight there, judging by the sleep pants and the zip up hoodie. His long brown hair was a mess and he was missing an arm as far as Steve could tell. He wasn’t sure if this was his stalker, or the man on the phone, or maybe some homeless man trying to use the booth. It wasn’t till the man spoke that Steve was flooded with relief. 

“Hey, you were the one on the phone right? My apartment is really close, I can take you there and let you use my phone…” he called through the glass, brows furrowed as he glanced around. He seemed anxious, hyper aware of what was going on around him. Steve instantly felt awful for dragging this man out, but he had to get away before whoever had been following him decided to show their face. 

Unlocking the booth, Steve stepped out and scrubbed at his watery eyes. “Thank you so much, you have no idea how much you’re helping right now,” he said, voice barely above a whisper and rough from his asthma attack. 

The man nodded once, understanding, and put his good arm around Steve’s slim shoulders. “Let’s get the fuck out of here,” he mumbled, leading Steve away.

Xx

All told, the walk back took maybe ten minutes. The whole time the stranger, James, was on high alert. Objectively, he reminded Steve of a really attractive meerkat. He kept looking around, body tense and then ducking a bit before continuing on his way. Steve was grateful for the alertness, at least James would know if the guy was still following them. 

Steve was quickly ushered into a fairly nice building, and then into a first floor apartment. 

Both men were silent for a while, Steve due to the after effects of his panic and asthma attacks. When it seemed like James couldn’t handle the silence anymore, he turned on a record player. Steve blinked a bit, listening to the familiar song play as the other man went into the kitchen. 

A sharp whistle from the kitchen made Steve jump, his heart lodging itself in his throat. It wasn’t a moment later that a nervous looking James came out, holding a steaming mug of tea. Steve just gaped at him, taking the mug and holding it close to his body. He hadn’t realized that he’d been staring into space long enough for the man to make him tea.

“You had a panic attack right? Tea helps. Just… Just drink it and try to relax. You’re safe,” James said, looking anxious himself. That brought Steve back to himself, and he shook his head a little. 

“Thank you. You didn’t have to do any of this for me. A stranger called you in the middle of the night, you could have just left me there,” Steve said softly, taking a sip of his tea. It burned his throat, but the lavender honey blend was really soothing and the burn helped him focus, to stay in the moment rather than letting himself be sucked back into his anxiety over the situation. 

“You sounded so scared… I’ve been there you know? I couldn’t leave you, especially when you said someone was following you,” James mumbled, ducking his head a bit. If Steve didn’t know better, he’d think the other man was blushing. 

He took a seat next to James on the couch and pulled his cup close to his body, staring down at the floor. “My name is Steve. I don’t think I told you that yet,” he mumbled. 

James glanced at him and shot him a weak smile. “Call me Bucky.”

Steve arched a brow and turned towards him slightly. “You said your name was James when you answered the phone…” he started, wondering if the man didn’t want Steve knowing his real name. 

James, or rather, Bucky, just shook his head with another weak little smile. “My friends call me Bucky. Never did like James, and any variation of it was lame. ‘S after my middle name, Buchanan?” he said, ending his sentence like a question and Steve shot him a warm smile. 

“So it’s Bucky then. Well it’s nice to meet you Bucky, I wish it had been under different circumstances though,” Steve said, laughing a little. He was feeling much better, and while he figured he’d better call Peggy so he didn’t outstay his welcome, he felt himself becoming more and more drawn to the tired looking one armed man beside him. There was something about Bucky, something that made him want to stick around a little longer. 

Bucky laughed, really laughed, for the first time since Steve met him. It was short, raspy like he didn’t do it often, but it was a beautiful sound. “I wish we had too. If you’da met me before I lost my arm, I’da tried to sweep you off your feet. Not so good at much more than being quiet and awkward now,” Bucky said, glancing at Steve for a second, like he didn’t want Steve to notice he was doing it. 

Steve chuckled and nodded. “Yeah well, even now you can’t be any worse than the guys my friends try to set me up with. I came out as bisexual and suddenly I have a date every weekend, and the guys are just slowly getting worse. My friends mean well, but I’m pretty sure the person following me was this evenings failed date,” he said, sighing slowly. 

Bucky eyed him for a moment, seemingly thinking hard about something. “You should stop going on the dates your friends set up for you. You obviously don’t want to. My, uh, my therapist told me to try not to do things just because people want me to. I mean, there’s a whole long back story for that, I won’t bore you with the details, but it basically amounts to that,” he said, seeming almost nervous.

Steve wanted to ask, he really did, but something in Bucky’s posture said that that was a conversation for another day. He just smiled softly and nodded once. “I’m sure it’s not boring Buck, but I won’t pry. I just… I dunno, they mean well, and it’s not like I don’t have okay taste on my own, but we always end up being better friends than lovers. I’ve always been more invested in my friends happiness than my own, and I know they’re trying to help but… Maybe I’m supposed to be alone,” he finished, shrugging. 

They sat there quietly for a while, Steve sipping at his tea while Bucky looked deep in thought. “I think that sometimes too. That maybe I’m supposed to be alone,” he started, shaking Steve out of his mind once more. “But then people walk into my life, and they stay there. Like with you, Steve. I haven’t made a friend on my own in a long time, and I don’t know you well but I want to be friends. Being single doesn’t have to mean you’re alone, or lonely. Maybe you just need to take a break and let it happen on it’s own,” he said, nodding to himself.

Steve smiled brightly at James, heart fluttering with happiness. “That’s the best advice I’ve gotten about all this in ages. Thank you Bucky, I mean it,” he said, voice quiet and firm. 

Bucky just smiled at him, a faint blush on his cheeks. “It’s not a problem Stevie. I should probably get you my phone, so you can get home,” he said, standing up a little awkwardly. 

Blinking owlishly, Steve looked up at Bucky and frowned slightly. “I’ll give you my phone number. So we can hang out, in a normal situation this time,” he said, voice holding an edge of hope to it. He really didn’t want this to be the last time he saw Bucky.

The other man just looked at him for a moment, eyes burning with something Steve couldn’t place. “That’s a great idea Stevie. C’mon, let’s get you home,” he said quietly, motioning for Steve to follow him. 

At the end of it all, Steve had walked away from a shitty date with a new friend and a new outlook on life. Maybe even something more, given enough time.


End file.
